Tips On Grilling Hamburgers For This Holiday Weekend

It's the big Memorial weekend where most of America will be out firing up the barbecue grill or getting themselves invited over for a barbecue.

There is actually an art to grilling the perfect hamburger. One of the biggest rules is to never press down on the meat while grilling. This presses the juice out and can make the burger dry.

"A good burger is one that is somewhat crusty outside but juicy inside."

There is a debate on which ground meat is the best for making good burgers. Most of the experts say choose the ground meat which is 80% lean with 20% fat content. Or go with what New York butchers recommend and mix ground sirloin and ground chuck together.

After you choose which ground meat to buy, have the butcher fine grind it. You can also use your own food processor to fine grind it with the metal blade, and pulse the cold meat so it doesn't turn to mush.

To make sure the burger cooks with an even shape and no puffiness, indent the center 1/2" deep and an inch wide. Don't worry, it will fill in properly.

Remove the ground meat from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you're going to prepare it for the grill; mix the seasonings into the meat lightly and quickly to avoid having your burgers taste tough.

I like using ground sirloin, personally. I know there's not much fat for taste, but I try to avoid fat in my food anyway. I actually like my burgers plain and don't usually season them either. (I know I'm a bore, aren't I?!)

And for crowning the finished burger all I like is lettuce and pickle. No yucky condiments or tomato or the worst horror of all - the dreaded onion!

Enjoy your holiday weekend, everyone. I hope it is warm and sunny for great grilling weather! And take time to remember all the men and women who died for our country and our freedoms.